Working with blue-collar workers

I think you would need to hire someone who have experiences on this to share with you some experiences or training.

I know one person who usually do training on cultural difference, but seem this is not your case.

I think it's also good to ask on LinkedIn about this.
You can join the LinkedIn Vietnam group to ask.
I also can help to share your post there if needed.

Indulge me for a while so that I can relate an anecdotal experience.   

I was a local manager in Hawaii for an Iowa owned agricultural company that was bought out (friendly) by a large multi-national that I will not name as the negatives are not relevant here.   My long distance boss, also moved over to the new corporation, came to town to relate to our employees the considerable list of fringe benefits that they would have with the new company.  These were the standard package of sick/vacation, 401K etc.   None of these had been available to them in the smaller company.  The thing that the employees, mostly first generation Filipinos, were most excited about was that they would no longer be subject to an exemption for agricultural workers in Hawaii for time and a half overtime pay.  None of the other new benefits that higher management touted had any impact on their feelings about the new company.

The basic moral of the story, to me at least, is don't assume that what seems important to the people in corporate HR is what matters most to your workers.  As a Viet Kieu, you should be uniquely positioned to both see what could be but also to hear what it is that your workers really want.  Just keep your ear to the ground and good luck.

Thanks for your responses.  Beyond what the employees think what they want and what corporate HR thinks they want I need to figure out what builds long term loyalty.   There's some components of cultural differences and then some that is not.  I'm sure if i asked the employees what they wanted the obvious answer is more pay.   But that's just a band-aid and doesn't build any long term goodwill.  More pay is possible but it has to linked to an appropriate goal but when we're a startup targets and deadlines are slippery as eels and I have to be leery of setting any goals because it can set precedent that can be hard to change.  Looks like I'm just going to have to muddle through it.

Your above response sounds like you do understand what you need to do, so why the comment about muddling through?

If it were me, I'd:

1. Come up with a rough idea of what you want the timelines involved.
2. Discuss the above plan with some key workers and colleagues, refine it and have a framework for timelines, goals and incentives.  I say framework, meaning, have a good idea of possible, probably goals and incentives.
3. Meet with your entire group, ASK them about possible goals and incentives. Make sure to let everyone who so desires to have their voice heard.
While at the same time, make sure to keep the focus in the ballpark of what you ALREADY decided is possible.  In other words, in simple terms, if you know you want/need a goal of 50 to 75 widgets a day, week, hour whatever. Keep the discussion focused on what satisfies your criteria.

4. Take back what you've learned and finalize, again reaching out to a few key people, to get them on board.

5. Announce the results
6. Take everyone out to dinner (this should be done routinely) to thank them for their hard work.

You'll do fine.

Wxx3 wrote:

Your above response sounds like you do understand what you need to do, so why the comment about muddling through?

If it were me, I'd:

1. Come up with a rough idea of what you want the timelines involved.
2. Discuss the above plan with some key workers and colleagues, refine it and have a framework for timelines, goals and incentives.  I say framework, meaning, have a good idea of possible, probably goals and incentives.
3. Meet with your entire group, ASK them about possible goals and incentives. Make sure to let everyone who so desires to have their voice heard.
While at the same time, make sure to keep the focus in the ballpark of what you ALREADY decided is possible.  In other words, in simple terms, if you know you want/need a goal of 50 to 75 widgets a day, week, hour whatever. Keep the discussion focused on what satisfies your criteria.

4. Take back what you've learned and finalize, again reaching out to a few key people, to get them on board.

5. Announce the results
6. Take everyone out to dinner (this should be done routinely) to thank them for their hard work.

You'll do fine.

I know what I'd like to do, but execution is the hard part.

1. Can't come up with a timeline when corporate won't give me one.  They can't even agree on whether they are extending my contract or not.
2. When I've asked key employees they give me a blank stare.  IF i get a response it's normally, yeah, I've been stressing over this and haven't thought of any ideas, then a blank look.
3. Same thing with the big group.  Complete silence.
3B.  And I have no idea what is possible because I don't trust the vague numbers China is sending me and I'm getting no support or timely responses from corporate.
4. And all this HR issue isn't even suppose to be my responsibility.  I'm trying to shoe-horn all this on top of all my normal responsibilities plus other items that was unplanned for and has to be taken care off.
5.  And apparently I cannot decide or announce any official results or get even enough money to buy a hammer unless like 20 people back in corporate to sign off on it.
6.  Corporate very briefly said two months ago to do things for the employees.  And never answered our question on what our allowable budget.   And still haven't answered.

The kicker was when I managed to get someone on the line last week and I got a "you're doing a good job, so we're to take a step back and be less involved".   How can you be less involved then zero?  I almost flipped a table on that.

Hi just provide your workers the standard Salary for Vietnamese, also Benefits that they deserve, Bonuses, 13th month pay if ever, then medical insurance. increase the salary every year for deserving employees but also give a little increment for others too for them not to leave and move to other company.

The OP will have his work cut out for him.

I recently joined a new small company, which had 2 corporate older sisters. The Vietnamese owners lack education and English skills. They hired someone like you. But it turns out a narcissistic abuser who doesn't like to communicate with foreigners.

Many friends "bottle it up" and then will just quit.  Vietnamese friends, resenting lowly paid overtime and such. Try holding "leaving interviews", get people to tell you what they feel.

videriant wrote:

Wxx3 wrote:

Your above response sounds like you do understand what you need to do, so why the comment about muddling through?

If it were me, I'd:

1. Come up with a rough idea of what you want the timelines involved.
2. Discuss the above plan with some key workers and colleagues, refine it and have a framework for timelines, goals and incentives.  I say framework, meaning, have a good idea of possible, probably goals and incentives.
3. Meet with your entire group, ASK them about possible goals and incentives. Make sure to let everyone who so desires to have their voice heard.
While at the same time, make sure to keep the focus in the ballpark of what you ALREADY decided is possible.  In other words, in simple terms, if you know you want/need a goal of 50 to 75 widgets a day, week, hour whatever. Keep the discussion focused on what satisfies your criteria.

4. Take back what you've learned and finalize, again reaching out to a few key people, to get them on board.

5. Announce the results
6. Take everyone out to dinner (this should be done routinely) to thank them for their hard work.

You'll do fine.

I know what I'd like to do, but execution is the hard part.

1. Can't come up with a timeline when corporate won't give me one.  They can't even agree on whether they are extending my contract or not.
2. When I've asked key employees they give me a blank stare.  IF i get a response it's normally, yeah, I've been stressing over this and haven't thought of any ideas, then a blank look.
3. Same thing with the big group.  Complete silence.
3B.  And I have no idea what is possible because I don't trust the vague numbers China is sending me and I'm getting no support or timely responses from corporate.
4. And all this HR issue isn't even suppose to be my responsibility.  I'm trying to shoe-horn all this on top of all my normal responsibilities plus other items that was unplanned for and has to be taken care off.
5.  And apparently I cannot decide or announce any official results or get even enough money to buy a hammer unless like 20 people back in corporate to sign off on it.
6.  Corporate very briefly said two months ago to do things for the employees.  And never answered our question on what our allowable budget.   And still haven't answered.

The kicker was when I managed to get someone on the line last week and I got a "you're doing a good job, so we're to take a step back and be less involved".   How can you be less involved then zero?  I almost flipped a table on that.

I can so relate!

My VN manager apparently hates her job? Projecting her anger onto me. I found her a narcissistic abuser, intent on causing harm. By not communicating events like that the top management will go on a drive and that my presence would be required... Me wearing no shoes meant they would drive off without me!

She wrote a rude mail, lambasting me for not eating meat etc. Such an email was meant to trigger a resignation. There are such people who are vicious & unscrupulous

Wait, until someone dictates you every breath you take. I got my ear chewed off over taking breaks with Kindergarten kids. No surprise that education sucks over here.

Edit: most people want money and food on table and 5 days off per week. And lastly, they want to 'nhau' every night after work and drive drunk home afterwards.

I think it boils down to one word:  respect.  You don't have to be pally with your workers.  In fact it may be better not to be too close.  Avoid things like beers after work except on rare occasions like major holidays.  If you are invited to things like weddings, go but don't drink too much or be the last to leave.  No matter what, blue collar workers will have a keen sense of whether or not you respect them.  If they sense that respect, they will work hard for you.

Generalisations are often unfair and plainly wrong.

Let's say that "soft skills", empathy aren't qualities often found in business owners and managers. Some are bloody rude without grasping the fact of what they have "just done". It only takes a minute to make a foreign employee want to walk out of her job.

In addition, they are often rigid[i].[/i] Inflexible. Very tough when it comes to issues like learning. Got a warning email lambasting me for having taken breaks in a 90 minutes' kindergarten class. - HELLO! Their attention span is a few minutes. One cannot just learn without taking breaks. Like bodybuilders need rest between sets. Silence is part of music, as it is part of good story telling.

TBH, I found locals to be often offensive without realizing it. OP, does this sound like what you are experiencing?

"Management" is often plain stupid. In TH, some professor came up with the notion that foreign teachers want "more red tape". // One owner made me come at 10 am daily although the action would start at 6 pm. Wasting my time without pity.

Some cannot think outside the box. They only know beginners and one type of textbook. They want every teacher to spend hours on "lesson plans & slides". Don't you dare question that wisdom. Hard & painful equals good. Homework till they cry or fall asleep doing it.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT (free course online like at www.futurelearn.com ) is a Black art.

There are too many employees for me to keep track off.  Right now it is 40 but it may go up to 300.  I rarely interact with them other then greeting them in the morning and have a hard time remembering most of their names.

I still need to understand to a certain degree what they value and prioritize.  High turnover has a hidden cost in retraining and down time.  It is still expected but I would like to minimize where possible.   I need to train the HR person to track and analyze metrics.  And I also have to train the people in leadership/management positions to be better managers.  It does no good if I get the factory workers to respect me but they still hate/fear their managers.